clxxix 



BENGAL. 



342. The districts under this Government are of an exceedingly- 



wide extent and diversified character; por- 

 Province of Bengal. tions being* densely, others sparsely, populated. 



A large tract lies in the Delta of the Ganges ; 

 some others are hilly, with ranges of a more or less wild character. 

 Excepting Orissa and a few isolated portions, I have not as yet had an 

 opportunity of personally examining the fisheries, and this is the more 

 to be regretted, as the returns are amongst tlie most incomplete that 

 have been received. 



343. The main rivers are the Brahmaputra to the east, taking its 



course through Assam, receiving many af- 

 Main rivers of Bengal. fluents from the Himalayas, and finally fall- 



ing into the Ganges, which last river, in its 

 numerous sub-divisions, descends through the centre of the province. 

 On the extreme west is Orissa, a district about 200 miles long, and 

 situated between the ghats and the sea; it is intersected by a large 

 number of streams crossing it on their passage from the hilly country to 

 the Bay of Bengal. These are generally large water-courses, torrents 

 during the rains, but nearly dry, sandy beds in the dry season. The most 

 westerly of the larger of the rivers is the Mahanuddi. 



344. What proportion of the general population tvould eat fish could 



they obtain it ? In Burdwan the amount is 



prov'ince. 1 "^ y "*"* ™ set down at about 95 P er cent - in Hooghly 



90 per cent., and these are all the answers 



to this question circulated to the native officials of the extensive 



province of Bengal. The Commissioner of Rajshahye, however, reports 



that in his division fish are largely consumed by all classes of people. From 



Assam and Orissa no replies at all have been received, but in the latter 



province, from personal investigations made in 1869, I was given to 



understand that, with the exception of religious mendicants, and those 



who have taken a vow that neither themselves nor their descendants 



shall eat fish, all classes join in its consumption. However, there may 



be, and probably are, some other exceptions, still the average given in 



the Hooghly and Burdwan of from 90 to 95 per cent, being permitted to 



eat it, also probably obtains in Orissa. In Assam I see it is stated 



that most of the people will eat it. Thus it may fairly be concluded 



that at the very least three-fourths of the population may be set down as 



not prohibited by religious scruples from consuming fish. 



345. How are the local markets supplied ivith fish ? Again, there 



T ...«.., is the same want of native returns, which 



Local markets insufficiently i vi i v ,/ i 



supplied. are much more likely to be correct than such 



from Europeans, who rarely visit the native 



bazars. In Burdwan Division, the native report is that the supply is not 



equal to the demand, and if more were brought to the market, they would 



find a ready sale. In Hooghly, the markets are stated " to be fairly 



supplied ; the fishermen, however, try to keep up the market price by 



